Peru News and Dubuque Fun

The Sculpture that Began the Latest Series of Sculptures

This Sunday, May 25, the Lincoln Journal Star ran this much-appreciated article by Kendra Waltke on Roland Sherman and his sculptures the Sherman Memorial Area feature along the Trace Trail. I talked over the telephone with Kendra for quite some time about the sculptures and hope that her article will increase interest in the Memorial Area and the Trace Trail. The preceding sculpture of a woman's name, Sara, and not the sculpture of a woman, according to Sherman family members, inspired Roland Sherman to create the series of sculptures Kendra's article addresses. For more information and links about the Trace Trail, just click here.

On Saturday, May 24, my wife and I drove to Mt. Vernon, IA, to pick up books and other "furnishings" from my daughter's dormitory room at Cornell College; classes there end on Wednesday, May 28. Anyway, on the way back, we visited the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium, which features, among other things, the William Black, a river dredger captured in the following picture.

The William Black

For years on my drives through Dubuque on my way to and from Peru, I have given thought to swinging by the National Mississippi River Museum and Aquarium in the Port of Dubuque by the river-- and surrounded by gambling establishments, just like, I suppose, in the "old days." The William Black in particular impressed me--I posted more images of the ship and a couple from inside the museum. The aquariums hold some impressively large Gar and Catfish.